Louis Phelps

On learning fast and taking ownership early

Starting a career in London

Louis joined Third Bridge as part of a 20-strong graduate cohort in London, moving down from the north of England for his first professional role. “I joined in May 2022 as an Associate in the Client Services team. Six months later I became a Project Manager with my own book of hedge fund clients,” he says.

His first few weeks were a whirlwind of detailed onboarding and steep learning curves. “We had a two-week classroom period where senior people from across the business came in to explain what Third Bridge is and where it’s going. Then it was straight onto the desk. They throw you in at the deep end, which is the best way to learn. That fast immersion worked for me, because I like to be pushed early and learn by doing.”

What really excited Louis was the access. “The opportunity to speak with leaders globally was a great one. It’s not always the case that, right at the beginning of your career, you’ll be trusted to talk with such senior people. Having those conversations both with clients and experts felt like privileged access, and that’s what drew me in.”

Jumping in at the deep end

After two years, Louis felt drawn to the research side of the business. “I wanted a deeper understanding of what our clients are actually doing when they’re speaking to experts. What kind of questions are they asking? What does an expert call look like?”

Encouraged by his managers, he moved into the Research team as a Senior Research Associate in the Tech, Media, and Telecoms (TMT) team where much of his day-to-day work was sourcing experts for Third Bridge Sector Analysts to interview.

Louis remembers being thrown into urgent projects that pushed him out of his comfort zone. “Sometimes I was just given the name of a company and told we needed to do something, which was daunting at first. I had to quickly look at earnings reports, news flow, and company filings to understand what was happening, and then come up with pre-qualifying questions myself. The Sector Analysts were great at providing feedback and explained why or why not they worked. With encouragement from my manager and the team, I got better quickly. After a few repetitions it became something I felt confident in, and even exciting.”

He also takes pride in being trusted straight away to take over a project covering the TMT sector. “It was refreshing to join the team and immediately be given free rein. I wasn’t told precisely what to do. It was up to me to explore new ways of reaching experts, and the result was content that clients really valued, on names we hadn’t previously covered in as much detail. That sense of ownership made it satisfying.”

The time Louis spent on the Research team helped him see where his passions lie and pointed him in a new and unexpected direction in his career. “I ended up learning a lot more about our clients than I expected, and what they want from Third Bridge. At first I thought I’d aim to become a Sector Analyst, but in the process I realized I actually enjoy the client engagement side even more. Research gave me that clarity and set me up perfectly for my next move into Account Management.”

Growing and developing

Louis has progressed quickly in the three years since he joined Third Bridge, making the most of the opportunities that he’s earned along the way. “If you work hard and show willingness, there’s a lot that opens up to you. In two years’ time I know I could move to an entirely different department and be trusted because I’ve proven myself. That’s rare in most companies.”

Louis also credits support from his manager as contributing to his professional growth. “Joe wasn’t the type of manager who just gave lip service to development. He followed through. He set me up with people in Product so I could understand what they were building, and that gave me a whole new perspective. He connected me with Sector Analysts so I could try writing questions myself and see if I wanted to be one. He even brought in Sales and Account Management to run commercial days for our team, so we understood how our work connected to winning business. It’s one thing to tell someone to explore their options, but he made sure I actually made a habit of building connections all over the business. That’s been invaluable.”

Third Bridge offers every employee a personal development allowance and Louis has already used his to complete ten Corporate Finance Institute courses on financial skills and is planning to pursue the Investment Management Certificate.

Life at Third Bridge and in London

Louis describes Third Bridge’s culture as “intellectually rigorous,” shaped by ambitious young colleagues. He says the energy is “fast-paced and commercial” with an emphasis on “continuous learning” and a strong focus on self-improvement.

He explains how Third Bridge’s culture also encourages new ideas from anywhere in the company. “When you first look at Third Bridge, you might think it’s a typical financial services business. But inside, there’s a lot of innovation. We even do an internal Shark Tank, where the founders invest in employee ideas. It shows that if you put your hand up with an idea, you’ll be taken seriously.”

Louis splits his time between office and home, but enjoys the camaraderie in person. “I wouldn’t enjoy being totally remote. It’s nice to sit next to your colleagues and feel like you’re working towards something as a group. Plus, it’s a great office with free breakfast, snacks, and a very good coffee machine.”

Outside of work, he’s a loyal Blackburn Rovers fan, a sometimes-frustrated golfer, and an enthusiastic Londoner. “I just love living in London: going to the bars, restaurants, and galleries. The role made that move possible for me.”

Advice for new joiners

Looking back at his experience over the last three years, Louis has the following advice for anyone starting their journey at Third Bridge: “Throw yourself into it. Do your day-to-day well, but make the most of everything else on offer too. Use the personal development allowance, speak to people across different teams, join sports or social groups. When you start to understand the bigger picture and where Third Bridge is going, it makes your role so much more interesting and opens up new opportunities.”